Method and system for controlling network traffic within the same connection with different packet tags by varying the policies applied to a connection

• US 8,331,223 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2007
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Packeteer Incorporated (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: Hill, Mark, Galloway, Brett, Klein, Anne Cesa
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANWAR, MOHAMMAD S
• Application Number:
  US11/854,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20080056267A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,917 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/352, 709/235
• US Class Current: 370/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/302 Route determination based on requested QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/31 by tagging of packets, e.g. using discard eligibility [DE] bits

Abstract

A method and system for controlling network traffic with different tags within the same connection by applying policies for each tag are disclosed. A method is disclosed in which incoming traffic is received. A traffic class is assigned to the traffic class. Outgoing traffic is controlled based on the assigned policy for the incoming traffic.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

checking whether a first priority associated with a new incoming packet of a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection between a first host and a second host is greater than a second priority associated with a previous incoming packet of the TCP connection;

transmitting the new incoming packet at the first priority if the first priority is not greater than the second priority;

if the first priority is greater than the second priority, determining whether the new incoming packet will arrive substantially out of order in that the new incoming packet will arrive before the previous incoming packet such that retransmission of the previous incoming packet or the new incoming packet will result;

transmitting the new incoming packet at the first priority if the new incoming packet is not determined to arrive substantially out of order with respect to the previous incoming packet; and

transmitting the new incoming packet at the second priority if the new incoming packet is determined to arrive substantially out of order with respect to the previous incoming packet.

2. An apparatus comprising:

one or more network interfaces;

a memory;

one or more processors; and

logic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution and when executed operable to cause the one or more processors to;

check whether a first priority associated with a new incoming packet of a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection between a first host and a second host is greater than a second priority associated with a previous incoming packet of the TCP connection;

transmit the new incoming packet at the first priority if the first priority is not greater than the second priority;

determine, if the first priority is greater than the second priority, whether the new incoming packet will arrive substantially out of order in that the new incoming packet will arrive before the previous incoming packet such that retransmission of the previous incoming packet or the new incoming packet will result;

transmit the new incoming packet at the first priority if the new incoming packet is not determined to arrive substantially out of order with respect to the previous incoming packet; and

transmit the new incoming packet at the second priority if the new incoming packet is determined to arrive substantially out of order with respect to the previous incoming packet.

3. An apparatus comprising:

means for checking whether a first priority associated with a new incoming packet of a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection between a first host and a second host is greater than a second priority associated with a previous incoming packet of the TCP connection;

means for transmitting the new incoming packet at the first priority if the first priority is not greater than the second priority;

means for determining, if the first priority is greater than the second priority, whether the new incoming packet will arrive substantially out of order in that the new incoming packet will arrive before the previous incoming packet such that retransmission of the previous incoming packet or the new incoming packet will result;

means for transmitting the new incoming packet at the first priority if the new incoming packet is not determined to arrive substantially out of order with respect to the previous incoming packet; and

means for transmitting the new incoming packet at the second priority if the new incoming packet is determined to arrive substantially out of order with respect to the previous incoming packet.

4. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions that when executed by a computing device cause the computing device to:

check whether a first priority associated with a new incoming packet of a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection between a first host and a second host is greater than a second priority associated with a previous incoming packet of the TCP connection;

transmit the new incoming packet at the first priority if the first priority is not greater than the second priority;

determine, if the first priority is greater than the second priority, whether the new incoming packet will arrive substantially out of order in that the incoming packet will arrive before the previous incoming packet such that retransmission of the previous incoming packet or the new incoming packet will result;

transmit the new incoming packet at the first priority if the new incoming packet is not determined to arrive substantially out of order with respect to the previous incoming packet; and

transmit the new incoming packet at the second priority if the new incoming packet is determined to arrive substantially out of order with respect to the previous incoming packet.